Despite dockworkers from Maine to Texas threatening a strike on Tuesday, the potential impact of a work stoppage on the holiday retail season is expected to be minimal. Ron Leibman, chair of McCarter and English's transportation, logistics, and supply chain management practice, stated that retailers have been proactively increasing imports for months in anticipation of this. "Retailers have been forward stocking, expecting this. Now, will that take care of the whole season? I don’t know, but it wouldn’t be the same as if they hadn’t prepared," Leibman told FreightWaves. The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), representing 25,000 members, plans to strike when their contract with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) expires at midnight on Monday. Key negotiations revolve around wages, benefits, and port automation rules. Contract talks have been stalled since June, with no further meetings scheduled. The ILA/USMX contract governs workers in container and roll-on/roll-off services at 36 U.S. ports, including major hubs like New York, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, and Savannah, Georgia. Leibman noted that the surge in traffic volumes from Asia over the past several months indicates retailers have had ample time to prepare for a potential longshoremen strike.